Science Buddies Blog (Page 75)

February 18, 2014 11:46 AM

The LEGO® Movie puts engineering on the big screen in the hands of an assortment of plastic master builders and superheroes from various time periods and realms who come together to challenge Lord Business and the superior threat of Kragle. What they engineer in their quest to stop the Kragle will inspire students, teachers, and parents. If you aren't singing the awesome virtues of engineering yet, you should be! Note: You can find out more about the movie and watch video trailers on the… Read more

Bio-inspired Robotics Engineering: Taking a Cue from Insects

February 17, 2014 9:00 AM

What can engineers learn from studying the ways in which bugs and insects move? A great deal! Robotics labs like the Harvard Microrobotics Lab are using bio-inspired research and observation to design and test new approaches to designing and building small robots. Meet a female engineer working in the lab. She may not be keen on bees, but when it comes to coin-sized bots, she is excited by the challenge of taking what insects already do well and creating better, faster, and more efficient… Read more

Heart Health Science: Is Your Heart Really Heart-shaped?

February 14, 2014 6:30 AM

February brings us both Valentine's Day and heart awareness month. That's two great reasons to take a closer look at the hard-working muscle thump-thump-thumping in your chest! By Kim Mullin A Day in the Life of Your Heart Your heart is constantly thump, thump, thumping away, working hard to keep oxygenated blood pumping through your system. But your heart patterns change throughout the day, speeding up and slowing down in response to your activities, moods, and routines. In the A Day… Read more

Heart Health: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

February 13, 2014 9:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: a human biology and health project that puts an important question to the test: if you exercise regularly, does your heart recover from exertion more quickly than if you don't exercise often? The heart pumps faster during exercise, which helps to keep the heart healthy. It is good to exercise frequently and to raise your heart rate into its target heart rate zone during exercise, but how long does it take for the heart to return to its normal… Read more

Sinkhole Science: Sudden Hole Swallows Corvettes Whole

February 12, 2014 11:49 AM

A car museum turned into a tragic no parking zone this week when a sinkhole opened up, wiping out a fleet of prized automobiles. Sinkholes apparently have no regard for the caliber of car or building that may be sitting on the surface, but what happens below the surface to account for sudden and catastrophic openings? With hands-on science projects sponsored by Chevron, students can experiment to learn more. Above: A set of corvettes in KY disappeared this week in… Read more

Landslide Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

February 6, 2014 11:00 AM

In this week's spotlight: an environmental engineering and Earth science project and hands-on activity that lets students and families explore what's happening when a landslide occurs. With a simple homemade model using a clipboard and pennies, students simulate how the angle of repose changes with different hill mass and slope surfaces. What happens when you change the materials used in an object sitting on a slope? What's going on with gravity on a slope? At what point does sliding begin… Read more

The Science of Winning Olympic Gold

February 5, 2014 9:00 AM

Later this week, amazing athletes from around the world will converge on Sochi, Russia for the 22nd Olympic Winter Games. Beyond practice and determination, what affects a gold-medalist's performance? The answer is simple—lots and lots of science. By Kim Mullin What comes to mind when you think of the Winter Olympics? The sparkling skill of figure skaters, or perhaps the terrifying speed of downhill skiers? While skating and skiing get lots of attention, the Winter Olympics include… Read more

Inspiring Future Female Engineers: GoldieBlox Goes to the Super Bowl

February 3, 2014 9:30 AM

If you were watching the Super Bowl on Sunday with an eye especially tuned to the ads, you were not alone. Super Bowl Sunday is big business for advertisers. Chips. Beverages. Condiments. Cars. More cars. You might see ads for all of these in 30-90 second spots between turnovers. But this year, you also saw the promise and potential of a future generation of girl engineers. Above: GoldieBlox's 2014 Super Bowl Sunday ad. As a result of the "Small Business Big Game" contest sponsored… Read more

Pixel Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

January 30, 2014 9:15 AM

In this week's spotlight: a video and computer games project and family activity that lets you investigate how the number of pixels used to create a video game object determines how it will look in the game. If you compare older games to new ones, you probably see a big difference in how the characters look today. Which look better? Do you know why? The number of pixels used in creating the images has a lot to do with the differences you see. In this… Read more

Super Bowl Sunday and Science on the Field

January 27, 2014 11:30 AM

Before or after the big game, tune in for great hands-on sports science ideas that help turn an interest in football into an exciting science experiment. No matter who wins on Sunday, science will be part of every play, run, fumble, kick, and score. You just have to know where to look. To Kick or Not to Kick Not every field goal attempt will score. There are many variables that come into play when the kick team comes onto the field, including distance and wind. Knowing when to kick may be… Read more

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